


Back to the Start

by neko-nya (neko_fish)



Series: Yellow [9]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:49:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12921867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_fish/pseuds/neko-nya
Summary: Nobody said it was easyNo one ever said it would be this hardThe last what-if.





	Back to the Start

**Author's Note:**

> Since I started with a song by Coldplay, why not end with the only other one I know? It's a line from "The Scientist" because as a title, that was probably not a great one to go with

The first time he sees him, he's sure he's mistaken.

Aomine's making his way down the street when a familiar scent wafts past him. It’s warm and lovely and he sees sunshine and a bright smile even as his brain scrambles to put words to the memory. Turning his head, the images—a _name_ is on the tip of his tongue when he catches sight of a brief flash of gold.

Stunned, he stands there amidst the crowd as people make their way around him. It isn't until someone runs into him that he snaps out of it and follows the flow of the crowd away because _no, that's impossible._

But for a moment, like a breath of fresh air in a stagnant world, everything around him burst to life.

That night, he dreams of happier times and a distant, gentle voice calling out to him.

_“Aominecchi...Aominecchi…”_

The second time he sees him, he's able to keep his wits about him and tries to push his way through the throng of people to reach that glimmer of yellow. But by the time he reaches the corner, he's lost sight of the figure. Pivoting around, Aomine scans the area and runs down to the metro line hoping to catch a glimpse of that person once more if only to put his mind at ease.

This is ridiculous, he chides himself. There are all sorts of people with any colour of hair in Tokyo. Losing his calm over some person with blond hair is desperate and irrational at best; but even as he tells himself this, he knows he wouldn’t hesitate to give chase should the occasion arise again if only to give himself some peace of mind.

That night, he hears warm laughter in his dreams.

_“Aominecchi, you’ve gotten so slow!”_

The third time he sees him, they're at the busiest intersection at Shibuya. For a moment, the world seems to freeze when he sees that flash of yellow in the corner of his eye. He reaches out and pulls the person back by the arm. He's fully prepared to apologize for his mistake when he sees the person's face and all words fade into silence.

Wide amber eyes stare at him, equally taken aback. He looks the same. A little older and his features a little sharper, but it's him.

After ten long years...

“Kise…”

The name makes his throat tighten. But before he can say anything more, someone grabs him by the wrist and steps between them. Aomine winces at the grip and glares at the man despite his imposing height and build. “Who are you and what do you want?” the man asks, his voice hard and challenging.

“Kagamicchi, stop, it's okay,” Kise says with a frown, pulling them apart. “It's okay, I know him.”

He continues eyeing the man, the two of them at an impasse until an officer comes running by to usher them off the road. Reluctantly, they all take a step back and in wordless agreement, the three of them walk in silence until they reach a quieter area. Aomine doesn't know what to say or how to break the silence. Despite imagining this very scenario endless times in his head, everything he thought he'd prepared fail him.

Nothing he imagined could've readied him for this.

Kise seems to be facing the same dilemma, staring at his shoes with a frown set on his lips. Next to him, the redhead crosses his arms and waits. Aomine wants to ask about this ‘Kagamicchi’, wants to ask about the last ten years, wants to ask so many things but his body refuses to cooperate, too busy staring at Kise because it's really him.

“It's been a while, Aomine...cchi,” Kise eventually says softly, his eyes to the ground.

The nickname snaps him out of his stupor. Suddenly, he's 16 again, running around in the streets making calls that wouldn’t be answered and sending messages that would remain unread. All the anger and concern and frustration from the past decade come back to him in a flurry.

“A while? It's been 10 years, Kise! I—you, you just _disappeared_! I didn't know what happened to you, nobody did! And suddenly you're back—not that I would've known if I hadn't caught up to you and all you have to say is ‘it's been a while’!?” he yells, voice raising without his consent. He clenches his fists tightly, digging his nails into his palm; it's all he can do to keep his eyes dry and his voice from wavering.

Kise has less luck concealing his emotions as his eyes well up and he looks just as Aomine remembers. “I'm sorry, Aominecchi. I don't know...I couldn't. I didn't want to, I promise. I’m sorry, I never wanted this,” he pleads, his voice hesitant, vulnerable.

He wants to yell.

He wants to scream.

He wants to hold onto the other and never let go because it's _really him_.

But he's not 16 anymore and he's accountable for more than just himself now; so with a tight throat, he swallows back the screams, and wills his eyes to remain dry. Aomine takes a deep breath and picks a place to start. “I have questions and I expect answers, got it?”

It annoys him when Kise waits for a nod of approval from the stranger before agreeing.

“Okay, first of all, who the hell is this guy?” he asks.

“Officer Kagami Taiga,” the man answers, flashing his badge. The way he pronounces ‘officer’ in English suggests a more diverse background than his fluent Japanese let on.

Aomine arches a brow, concern niggling away at him. “Officer? What are you doing with the police?” In the back of his mind, he remembers their last conversation before everything happened and it feels a bit like betrayal. Had he made the wrong choice? Would choosing differently have changed anything?

“Kagamicchi is more like a bodyguard right now,” Kise explains, which only adds to his mounting confusion and concern. “It's a long story…”

“Ten years’ worth of a story?”

Kise looks away and nods ruefully. “Yes, this probably isn't the best place for it though. Maybe we should move this talk elsewhere?”

“We don't have time, we need to check in with Alex,” Kagami reminds him, voice significantly kinder than earlier.

Aomine grits his teeth, ready to dare the man for getting in his way. Sensing his irritation, Kise quickly reassures him, “Why don't we set a time and place to meet instead?”

He pauses in thought for a moment but nods. “Fine, but give me your number so I can contact you and I don't want this guy there.”

Kise glances at Kagami again, hesitant. The man eyes him, his expression unreadable, and eventually shrugs. “It’s not my call anymore. You trust him, right?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Kise immediately replies, which fills him with both a sense of smugness and a greater sense of relief, though in the back of his mind, the concern remains. Then he turns back to Aomine and asks, “Where should we meet?”

“How about tomorrow at two? My practice ends at one. I'll text you the location,” he suggests, still indecisive about where to go.

The two of them exchange contact information, and he does his best to not think about how strange it is to have to re-enter Kise’s name into his phone—how strange it is to have a ‘Kise Ryouta’ in his contacts again. He glances up and wonders if he's the only one feeling this uncomfortable, but no, Kise looks up for a moment, his features twisted into a familiar look of unease.

Ten years ago, they would’ve looked at each other and laughed through the sheepishness. They would’ve joked about being strangers. He would’ve teased Kise by refusing to add him to his contacts, and Kise would’ve clung him complaining in between giggles.

Ten years ago, this wouldn’t feel like such an insurmountable challenge.

“I...I'll be in touch,” he mutters.

“I'll wait for your text then,” Kise replies a little shyly before turning to follow Kagami away. But not before turning around and smiling. It’s a little strained and very anxious, but it’s still Kise. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Aominecchi. Pick somewhere good!”

His heart skips a beat and all of a sudden, he remembers their first date and the awkward stiffness of trying to invite the other out.

_“We should go somewhere new this weekend,” he announced after having stewed over the idea for days._

_“New? Why? Is there somewhere you want to go? I’m fine with anything, but what's wrong with Majiba and basketball?” Kise asked, eyes inquisitive._

_He could feel heat rising up his neck and colouring his cheeks as he muttered, “Stupid, it has to be somewhere new or else it won't feel like a date!”_

_Kise’s face reddened and he turned his gaze down to his feet. “Oh, if that's the case, then I'll wait for your call, Aominecchi.” Then he grinned, looking so, so happy. “You better pick somewhere good!”_

Watching the two walk out of sight, he pulls out his phone from his pocket.

\--

_28/08/18 16:24  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_Hey._

_\--_

He holds his breath and waits. Suddenly, it buzzes and the screen lights up.

\--

_28/08/18 16:25  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_Hi._

_\--_

For the first time that day, Aomine’s shoulders sag in relief and he leans back against the wall and smiles.

\--

_28/08/18 16:25  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_This is Kise and not that burly cop with the eyebrows, right?_

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:25  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_This is definitely Kise!_ _ヽ_ _(#`Д´)_ _ﾉ_

_\--_

He scoffs quietly to himself and starts making his way to the station to get to practice. “I can't believe he still types like that.”

\--

_28/08/18 16:26  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_Prove it._

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:27  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_Hmm...Are you still a Mai-chan fan? Does that count?_

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:28  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_Good enough. You know I'm expecting answers tomorrow._

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:31  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_Yes, I promise I'll explain everything._

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:33  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_I'm sorry about everything, Aominecchi._

_\--_

He tightens his grip at the message and frowns.

_I don’t care. You came back._

_Delete, delete, delete._

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:34  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_Whatever, I've gotta go to practice now. I'll tell you the location later._

_\--_

_28/08/18 16:34  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_Okay! Do your best! ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰_

_\--_

On the train, he pulls his phone back out and scrolls through his brief conversation with Kise, unable to believe it actually took place. It feels like someone's playing a cruel prank on him that after ten years, Kise would come waltzing back into his life just like that with a smile that still felt like the sun but with eyes just a little harder.

“You're late, Aomine-kun,” Momoi calls out to him from the entrance of the gym. Something must show on his face because she tilts her head a little and asks, “Did something happen?”

He opens his mouth to tell her but remembers the officer by Kise’s side and the way Kise was looking for permission to be on his own. “It's nothing, I just got caught up with something, don't worry about it. I’ll be on time next time,” he says.

Momoi doesn't look convinced but shakes her head and doesn't press the matter. She never does anymore. They haven't confided in each other for nearly ten years now. Having turned his focus strictly on basketball in high school, for the first time, he notices the distance that's grown between them.

“I'll tell you about it another time, Satsuki, maybe,” he mutters sheepishly before pushing past her towards the locker room, but not before he catches a glimpse of her wide eyes and shocked expression. He wonders if something so small can close the gap even the slightest bit.

Then he hears, “O-okay, Dai-chan. Hurry up and change, everyone's waiting for you!”

Somehow, just with that, tomorrow feels a little less daunting.

\--

That night, he considers different places to meet the other tomorrow. His first thought is to go to a high end restaurant to say ‘look at the life I've made for myself’ but quickly decides against it. It's too different, too unlike them (whatever ‘them’ meant now). Despite his anger, making Kise uncomfortable isn't something he wants.

They've been apart for so long that he couldn't possibly ignore it even if he wanted to. Kise’s led a life for the last ten years that he doesn't know about—that he wasn't a part of.

_But he's back. He's back in your life again, you can ask him about this, ask him about the future, ask if you can be there with him._

_If he still thinks of you that way at all…_

The thought is an unsettling one. Aomine shakes his head and refuses to entertain it any further. At the very least, he can have them meet at a place familiar to both of them.

\--

_28/08/18 22:34  
To: Kise Ryouta_

_Let's just meet at Maji Burger tomorrow_

_\--_

_28/08/18 22:35  
From: Kise Ryouta_

_Roger! I'll be there!_

\--

He ends up showing up half an hour early and fidgets in a way he hasn't done since he was a child. But as he approaches the store, he finds Kise standing there looking just as sheepish. He's playing around with the strap of his bag and staring at his shoes, occasionally glancing up then at his phone to check the time.

Aomine smiles at the familiar scene and decides to relieve the other from his painful wait. “A little early, aren't you?” he calls out teasingly.

The way Kise gives a start and looks up, his expression immediately brightening up upon seeing him makes Aomine’s heart skip a beat and his ears heat up. For a moment, it’s as though they’re teenagers again. The man looks just as beautiful as he does in his memories.

“Aominecchi, you're early too,” Kise replies with a smile. “C’mon, let's go in! I'm starving!”

The burger joint is nearly empty with the lunch rush having just passed. They go up to order and Aomine notices Kise looking up at the menu thoughtfully. He’s about to ask if they weren’t just going for their usual when Kise notices his gaze and explains, “It's been a while. I wanted to see if they added anything new to their menu. You can order first.”

And just like that, reality comes rushing back, reminding him of their 10-year gap. Of course they’re not operating at the same pace anymore, Aomine mentally chides himself. “No, it's fine, take your time. I can cover this one,” he mutters.

The two of them exchange glances at the offer—something that would've been unimaginable ten years ago.

Aomine opens his mouth to take it back, to come up with an excuse to diffuse the tension but then Kise laughs and gives him a pat on the arm. “Wow, what an adult! You've grown so generous, Aominecchi!”

He flushes and shrugs it off. “Whatever, hurry up and decide already, you idiot!”

Kise doesn't order his usual from ten years ago. He asks for ketchup and doesn't eat his fries plain and salted like he used to. He still sits as far from the windows as possible like he did ten years ago but sits facing the street.

Try as he may, Aomine can't help tallying up all these little differences. They shouldn't bother him but they do. The Kise he knew was made up of all these little habits that he'd taken the time to notice and commit to memory, the ones that he naturally learned to accommodate as they spent time together; these were the quirks that helped set _his_ Kise apart from the Kise the rest of the world saw.

“Is something wrong, Aominecchi?”

He considers bringing the subject up but decides against it. It’s not like it was anything either of them could change at this point. For all he knows, he could be a stranger in Kise's eyes.

Before he can answer, someone stops by their table and he looks over to find a couple of high schoolers standing there with a magazine clutched between the two of them.

“Excuse me, are you Aomine Daiki?” the taller of the two asks.

Blinking, he nods. “Yeah, what about it?”

“We’re huge fans! We never miss your games on TV,” the other boy gushes. “We just wanted to see if you would mind signing this for us and maybe taking a picture with us?”

Aomine arches a brow and glances over at Kise whose expression goes from surprised to amused. He shrugs. “Sure, why not? Shouldn’t you two be in class right now though?”

“It’s not that big a deal. It’s just self-study right now.” Then the two exchange looks. “Shit, we won’t be able to post it online without getting in trouble.”

Laughing, he stands up and ruffles their hair. “Just post it later, you brats. C’mon, let’s do this and then you can get your butts back to school, okay? Don’t go skipping any more of your classes—even if it _is_ self-study.”

“Yes, sir!”

They take the photo and he signs their magazine and sends them on their way. When he turns back, he finds Kise grinning at him. “Why are you making that face?”

“Nothing. I was surprised that Aominecchi’s grown into such a good role model,” Kise coos. “You even pulled the ‘don’t skip class if you want to be like me’ card and they _believed_ it.”

He huffs. “Hey, I’ll have you know, I went to most of my classes in high school and university. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain now, you know? It’s still so awkward every single time though and I never know how to react. I don’t know how you deal with all your fans…” he trails off sheepishly when he realizes that their situation has long since changed.

With distant eyes, Kise looks like he wants to say something about it but smiles instead. “We’ve swapped! You’re the one with the fans now, Aominecchi. They probably forgot about me a long time ago.”

“Not everyone forgot,” he mutters with a frown. Out of all things to change, this aspect of Kise hasn’t. “If you don’t feel like smiling, don’t smile. Who are you trying to impress here?”

Instead of dropping the act, Kise laughs. “I’m trying to impress you, of course. Is it working?”

Blinking, he’s startled by the fluttering feeling in his heart; something he hasn’t felt in a very long time. He looks away and scoffs. “That’s a lost cause, don’t you think?”

“How mean!”

They exchange grins and however fleetingly, everything feels right again.

The rest of the meal is silent and they’re both waiting for the right moment to broach the topic of the past while simultaneously trying to stall and hold it off for as long as possible. Despite dragging it out, eventually, with empty burger wrappers and containers in front of them, it’s evident they’re not able to hold the conversation off any longer.

Aomine gets up and picks up the tray. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.”

\--

Outside, they naturally gravitate towards the basketball court where Kise picks up an abandoned, slightly deflated ball and shoots it. It bounces off the rim and falls to the ground with a plop and rolls away unsteadily. “So how are the big leagues treating you, Mr. Youngest Player on the National Team?” Kise asks.

He doesn't know why it takes him by surprise when it's nationwide news, but he still asks, “You know about that?”

“Of course,” Kise answers, walking over towards the ball. “I followed your news very closely while I was in America. It was a pretty big deal even over there too, don't you know?”

No, he didn’t know.

He didn’t know any of that.

“America? What were you doing in America?” Aomine asks, frustrated that for every offhanded comment the other made, a dozen more questions arose.

Kise picks up the ball and stares at it for a long moment. “I was in a witness protection program.”

His eyes widen. “Wait, what?”

“Do you remember that night ten years ago?” Kise asks.

Aomine doesn’t tell him that he still has nightmares about it, of running through the dark, calling his name.

“I was on my way back to your place with the drinks when I saw someone getting killed by the court. To be honest, I don’t remember what happened next, but the police got involved and somehow, it blew up into this big international incident so I had to be moved overseas for my safety. It was a huge deal over there so I guess they must've hushed it up here.”

A million questions fought to come out. In the end, he only manages to ask, “Are you safe here?”

Kise stares at him as though confused by his concern. “What?”

“Are you safe right now?” he repeats, grabbing the other tightly by the arm. “That’s why you have that policeman with you, right? What if someone sees you? Should we go back inside? Will you have to leave again?”

Eyes wide with surprise, a warm smile slowly grows on Kise’s face. “No, I'm fine now. Everything's over. I think.”

“You _think_?” he all but shouts.

“Well, the bad guys involved with the trial are all dead now so there's no reason for anyone to mind me anymore.”

His head is reeling at all the facts being thrown at him with the nonchalance of someone reciting a grocery list. “They're all dead? What?”

“There was a turf war or something and they lost I guess?  They never really kept me in the loop for things that weren’t related to the trial but from what I understand, I’m not really in danger anymore. I've talked this out with Kagamicchi and Himuro-san and Alex, they were the officers assigned to my case, and we thought it'd be reasonably safe for me to return to Japan.”

Aomine sits himself down on a bench nearby and cradles his head. “This doesn't seem real. I've seen movies with more realistic stories.”

Kise laughs. It's a dark, hollow sound. “I know right? It's unbelievable.”

He looks up, worried. “Are you really sure you're safe?”

“I am. I even get my own bodyguard for the next little while. You don't have to worry, Aominecchi,” Kise reassures him with a smile that isn’t all there.

Anxiety and paranoia wash over him. Being a relatively public figure now, people could be taking photos from afar for all he knows. What if they see? What if the wrong person sees?

Kise reaches out and he flinches back without thinking. “Sorry, no, that's not...I just need to process all this. Can you call the cop to come walk you back? I'll wait with you.”

There's an unreadable look in those amber eyes. “...I understand. You don't have to wait with me. I'll get him or Alex to pick me up. We're not too far from the station anyway. I'll walk.”

“I'll walk you then,” he offers immediately.

“It's okay—”

“ _Please_.”

Kise hesitates for a moment and nods. “Alright. Thanks.”

The walk to the station is silent. Inside, they find Kagami, who arches a brow in question. But Kise merely shakes his head and says, “Thanks for walking me, Aominecchi. I think I’ll go say hi to Alex.”

Before he can walk off, Aomine grabs him by the arm and mutters, “Sorry. I'll text you later.”

Kise nods, smile wavering. “Okay. It’s okay.”

Once he’s gone, Aomine turns to Kagami and hisses, “You keep him safe.”

Then he turns around and leaves.

\--

That night, he paces the length of his apartment, staring at his phone. It feels like that evening ten years ago, sitting in the bathtub, considering a million things to say with none of the words coming out.

He writes word after word only to delete them all, each of them too weak, too inarticulate, too inadequate, too unnatural. He mulls over each character, wondering why they were so hard to string together. Even the simplest sentiments seem to fall and get stuck between the keys.

An hour passes and the battery dies.

Cursing, he runs up to his room and plugs it in, jumping when the phone suddenly buzzes to life with a message.

\--

_29/08/18 21:24  
To: Aomine Daiki_

_Hey, are you free tonight?_

_\--_

Aomine stares blankly at it. It's from an idol he's fooled around with more than once, each unattached due to different circumstances. Blinking, he wonders at the distance he feels when he'd last seen her mere weeks ago.

\--

_29/08/18 21:25  
From: Aomine Daiki_

_No. Won’t be for a while._

_\--_

His phone quickly buzzes again.

\--

_29/08/18 21:25  
To: Aomine Daiki_

_That’s too bad. Congrats to the lucky person. I'll see you around!_

_\--_

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighs, “Lucky, huh?”

He leans back against the wall and stares at the ceiling with his phone in hand. His fingers are stiff and the letters feel like needles. Giving up, he decides to dial Kise instead.

The call connects after two rings.

“Hello?”

Aomine swallows hard. “Hey.” There's a pause and the silence hangs heavily between them. “I’m sorry about earlier. Today didn't really work out well, did it?”

“No,” comes the soft answer. “It really didn't, though I'm not sure what I was hoping for. It was nice to see you again though, Aominecchi.”

He scoffs. “Don't say it like it’s goodbye, you idiot.” Reining back the questions piling up in his mind and the insistent need to make sure the other’s safe, he asks instead, “You're not busy, are you?”

“Hmm? Not really, I was just streaming my shows.”

“American shows?”

Kise’s voice lightens. “Yeah, they're really addicting. You can start on something and suddenly half a day’s gone by.”

“I'm surprised. From what I remember, your English marks were barely higher than mine and I was barely passing,” he teases, smiling.

“Hey! My marks were  _way_ better! It was my best subject! Besides, I got plenty of practice after I moved!”

Relaxing, he hums skeptically. “I sure hope so. It'd be pretty sad if you didn't. So, since you seem to know about what's been happening in my life, let me ask you this: _how was America_?” he asks in English.

Kise lets out a surprised laugh and answers, “ _It was great. Everything was very different over there and very big. I went to college there and made new friends but it was still pretty lonely sometimes when no one’s allowed to know who you really are. I streamed your games live when I could, but the internet was finicky sometimes...I got homesick a lot, you know?_ ”

He shakes his head. “You lost me. I barely passed English, remember? Start again—slower this time. And preferably in Japanese.”

They chat well into the night and agree to meet up again. It’s light and easy, and while they still stumbled into pitfalls of awkward silences and dark corners neither of them are ready to unveil, Aomine goes to bed that night feeling lighter than he has in the last decade.

\--

The next day, Momoi stares long and hard at him when he shows up for practice. “What happened to you, Dai-chan? You seem different,” she prods cautiously.

Aomine shrugs. “Something good happened. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime if I feel like it.”

She gapes. “You can't just say something like that and stop! You have to tell me! Stop smiling! Dai-chan, what happened to you!?”

Grinning, he jogs off to the locker room. “Maybe later. It's time for practice.”

“Dai-chan! Get back here!”

\--

When Kise shows up at his door, Aomine wonders if he's going to mention anything about its proximity to the ball court where their lives were irreparably changed. Despite his self-consciousness, it's a far better idea than being out in public where his nerves would get frayed.

He's not ready for that yet. 

Stepping inside, he watches Kise admire the size of the rooms and the high ceilings. “As expected of a sports superstar.”

“It was a stupid impulse buy,” he mutters sheepishly. “I'll probably move somewhere closer to the city center. This is way too big for one person.”

Something flashes in Kise’s eyes. “One person? So you're not…” Aomine shakes his head. “That's surprising given the headlines you've made in the tabloids.”

He shrugs helplessly. “It was mostly just fun and games. Ten years is a long time; don't tell me you didn't?”

“I did too, though not with anyone particularly so high profile. My college flings were fun but nothing ever lasted. It was hard to commit when I always had this idea in my head that I was going to go home.”

Aomine nods understandingly.

I kept thinking you'd come home too, he doesn't say. Instead, he rubs the back of his neck and asks, “Well, now that we got that out of the way, is there anything you want to eat?”

Kise perks up, eager to sweep the awkwardness away. They're getting better at navigating their way around these obstacles. “Did you learn to cook while I was away?”

‘While I was away’—he says it as though he had simply gone on a weekend trip.

Scoffing, Aomine waves his phone in the other’s face. “You wish. I haven’t made anything beyond coffee and toast for the past decade. So what do you feel like eating? Pizza? Burgers? Hot dogs?”

“Is that all the American food you can think of?” Kise laughs. “There are other things too, stupid! And I want ramen. I haven’t had good ramen in a while.”

He grins. “Your wish is my command. One large bowl of extra spicy ramen, right?”

Amber eyes widen as Kise makes a grab for the phone. “Aominecchi, you are the _worst_! You know I can’t handle spicy food!”

\--

It takes another week before Aomine gathers the courage to broach the subject.

“Do you want to come watch a game? You can even bring Eyebrows if you’d like.”

“It’s nice to see you two getting along, but call him by his name!” Kise chides.

Over the days, Aomine’s developed an ambiguous friendship with Kagami where he will antagonize the officer and watch him take the bait. Their antics usually end in arguments, pretend fist fights, and basketball matches, much to Alex's amusement.

He rolls his eyes and relents, “Fine. You can bring _Officer_ Eyebrows if you’d like.”

Kise snorts. “I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”

Shrugging, Aomine says, “Just come. It’s just a practice match, so there won’t be any cameras or anything. It'll be fun.” He pauses. “And Satsuki will probably bawl her eyes out when she sees you.”

Eyes widening, Kise stammers, “Oh. But I…”

“Look, I know you said you weren’t ready to see the group yet so I thought it’d be easier to do this one by one. We’re doing this on your terms, okay?” he quickly reassures the other. “If you’re not ready, just say the word. You can still come to the game; I’ll just seat you further away.”

“No,” Kise says, shaking his head, steeling himself. “I want to go. One by one is a good idea. If anything, you better be ready for _me_ to bawl my eyes out when I see Momocchi.”

Aomine shrugs and ruffles the other’s hair proudly, ignoring the protests. “Please, I’ve had years of practice. I’m immune to both of your tears.”

\--

As it turns out, he is not immune to Kise and Momoi’s tears. While the two embrace and cry, he turns away sheepishly and averts his gaze to the empty bleachers and waits for the stinging sensation in his eyes to go away.

Before the end of the night, they make an appointment to see Kuroko.

\--

“This was a bad idea,” Kise mutters, twiddling his thumbs as they walk down the quiet streetlamp lit street towards the kindergarten.

“What is?” he asks, arching a brow.

Gesturing vaguely at the situation, Kise frowns. “This whole thing. Seeing people, seeing _Kurokocchi_. Honestly, if you hadn’t called out to me, I probably would’ve never reached out to anyone.”

Aomine furrows his brows. “Why?”

“Because I’ve been gone for so long and you all have your own lives now…”

“I don't think you understand.”

Kise blinks. “What don't I understand?”

“Ten years. You've been gone for ten years, Kise,” he grits out, fists clenched, thinking of all nights he spent staring at his phone, watching the news, waiting for _something_ to show up. “We will still turn back if you want to, but there are people who still think you're _dead_! And I…”

“And you what, Aominecchi?” Kise asks softly, hesitant.

“I _waited_ for you,” he says, deflating. “Just like Satsuki did. And just like how I know Tetsu did. Believe me when I say everyone will be happy to see you.”

Frowning, Kise asks, “Even though I'm not the Kise from ten years ago? He’s _gone_. The person everyone’s been waiting won’t come back. I want to be him again but I _can't_. I like my fries with ketchup and I always feel like I'm forgetting to leave a tip and I can't even try to keep up with you in basketball anymore. I’m scared to face everyone, Aominecchi. I was afraid to face _you_.

“How can I possibly be the same Kise everyone’s expecting when I spent so much of these last ten years hiding? I learnt not to stand out. Don't be too good. Don't be too friendly. Don't socialize too much. No matter how much I followed you on the news, I could never reach out. Sometimes, it feels like my life stopped ten years ago. Then suddenly, I got to come back to Japan. And seeing you that day…it felt like someone finally hit the play button for my life again and here I am, only to find that everyone else has moved on.”

Aomine lets out a laugh. It’s a little strained and full of relief, but he can’t help it.

Wiping the tears away, Kise furrows his brows. “You’re the worst, you know that, Aominecchi? Why are you laughing?”

“Because I felt the same way when I first caught sight of you.” Reaching out, Aomine brushes away more tears with his thumb. “You're going to be fine, Kise. Although you should save your crying face for Tetsu. It wouldn’t be a complete reunion without it.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Kise says with a weak laugh. “Are you sure Kurokocchi will be happy to see me?”

“Yeah, I promise.” He holds out a hand. “I know it’s scary and it’s hard and it’s not going to be easy for any of us, but it’s a start. So c’mon, Tetsu’s waiting.”

Kise studies him closely before taking his hand. They slot their fingers together like puzzle pieces falling into place, and it feels _so right_ he wonders how he could’ve ever forgotten this feeling.

“But everything is different now.”

“Not everything is,” he says, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Your situation is different,” Kise presses.

He shrugs. “I still play basketball. It’s not so different.”

“ _I’m_ different.”

“Yeah, well, ten years _have_ passed and you spent all that time in America. Like you said, how can you be the same person who left? So what if you picked up a couple of weird habits? At the end of the day, you’re still you in all the ways that count. Trying to stuff you into some mould of a person from the past won't help,” he says.

Kise lets out an exasperated sigh. “When did you get so nice!?”

Aomine arches a brow. “I’m not. I’m barely a decent guy most of the time. I’m just giving you the special treatment because you’re still special to me. That much hasn’t changed.”

Cheeks reddening, Kise shields his face with his free hand and mutters, “Oh no, you’ve become _charming_.”

\--

Like he promised, Kuroko all but drops everything in his hands and runs over to throw his arms around Kise. Aomine elbows the other and nods as though to say ‘told you so’ and smiles.

Eyes wide, Kise looks down at the shorter man. “Kurokocchi, you missed me?”

“Of course I missed you,” Kuroko snaps. “Please don’t be stupid, Kise-kun. And please, don’t leave us like that ever again.”

Tears renewed, Kise returns the hug tightly. “I promise I won’t. I’m so sorry! I’ll make sure I text you at least three times a day for the rest of forever, Kurokocchi!”

Kuroko immediately steps back. “No, I’d really rather you not.”

“So mean!”

From the side, Aomine can see the smile on their faces and grins. “Not that this reunion isn’t touching or anything, but I’d much rather have some food to go with it. So how about it? I’ll treat.”

“Aominecchi, you’re the worst! We were having a moment!” Kise calls out.

Kuroko shoots him a familiar look. “Never mind that. You’ve gotten awfully generous, Aomine-kun. It’s unsettling.”

Kise grins. “That’s exactly what I said!”

He shrugs. “Fine, pay for your own dinner then.”

“I apologize and humbly retract my comment,” Kuroko quickly says.

Aomine huffs victoriously. “That’s what I thought. Hey, Kise, why don’t you call up Officer Eyebrows and have him come along? Maybe we can play two-on-two after?”

“His name is Kagamicchi!”

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s not a real name either,” Kuroko mutters.

Linking arms with the shorter man, Kise beams. “I can’t wait for you to meet him! You’ll love him, Kurokocchi! He’s tall and reliable and good at cooking and sort of bilingual, oh, but he’s afraid of dogs, but other than that, he’s a super nice guy!”

Aomine scoffs and crosses his arms. “With endorsements like that, who needs a PR team? You forgot to mention that he’s kind of _stupid_ sometimes.”

Kise frowns. “ _You’re_ kind of stupid sometimes!”

Kuroko raises a hand to cut them off. “Actually, I don’t think either of you are qualified to gage another person’s intelligence.”

\--

Things get easier from there. They meet Midorima, who spends the whole time hiding his face behind his lucky item until Takao arrives to pick him up and gives them the contact information for Kasamatsu. He only accompanies Kise to the first meet up with the captain then leaves him to spend a solid day crying with rest of the Kaijou team.

During that time, Aomine decides to check in with Sakurai and Wakamatsu. After being apologized to profusely for wasting his time and breath for something as trivial as a phone call and being yelled at for not checking in earlier, he scratches his head and spends the rest of the day with Momoi instead. She finally takes the chance to chide him for not confiding in her earlier but then pulls him into a hug and tells him, “I’ve missed you, Dai-chan. It felt like you went far, far away, but now you’re finally back.”

Surprisingly, it’s Kagami’s partner who directs them to Murasakibara, who picks Kise up into a bear hug and samples more pastries than he sells while they’re there. They’re put in touch with Akashi, who invites them to a shogi match they force themselves to stay awake through only to be rewarded with a pat on the head and a smile. “Ryouta, I knew you’d come back.”

\--

Another six months in, they’re both lounging around in the living room of his new apartment when Aomine looks over and asks, “Hey, Kise?”

Turning his head, Kise smiles and tilts his head to look over to where he’s sprawled on the floor. “Yeah, Aominecchi?”

He hesitates. They’ve been on the precipice of something more ever since they reunited, but he had given his word that he would let Kise set the pace and he meant it.

“What’s this? Why are you so nervous?” Kise teases. “Don’t tell me this a love confession?”

Aomine nods. “Yes, actually it is. What are your thoughts on a date? Maybe next week after my match?”

Kise stares for a moment before curling up with a cushion against his face. “Aominecchi, it’s not fair. How are you always able to be so cool and not be embarrassed at all? I’ve been trying to think of a way to bring the subject up and you go and do… _this_.”

He grins. “It’s a gift. I figured it was my turn to confess. So I’ll take that as a yes then?”

Pouting, Kise gets up and lies on top of him and presses his weight down. “Yes. That’s an absolute yes. It’s also your turn to abuse the perks of your job, by the way. Make sure you pick somewhere good, okay?”

Chuckling, he leans up and pulls the other down for a kiss. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“My, my, look at you, adult Aominecchi, so reliable and charming,” Kise hums, “and somehow still breaking all the rules.”

Aomine raises a brow. “Hmm?”

Kise laughs and wraps his arms around his chest and rests his head on the indent of his spine. “Everyone knows you’re not supposed to kiss before your first date.”

He wrinkles his nose. “That’s overrated. We kissed before we started dating the first time around. Why should this time be any different?”

“That’s true. We were rule breakers from the start.” There's a moment of contemplative silence. “Hey, Aominecchi.”

“What?”

“We were happy, weren’t we?” Kise asks softly.

Eyes softening, he answers, “Yeah, we were very happy.”

“...do you think we’ll ever reach that place again?”

Rolling over so that they’re both on the floor facing each other, Aomine tells him, “No, that was ten years ago. That’s all done with and gone now. We can’t get any of that back, Kise. But, I promise I’ll make you even happier than before. _We’ll_ be happier than before, so don’t you give up on this, okay? Not when we have an entire life ahead of us.”

A warm smile fills Kise’s face. “And the next life too?”

Aomine shrugs and pulls the other close. “Sure, why not? You can have all the lives you want, but just make sure you spend the rest of this one with me first.”

Laughing, Kise leans up for a kiss. “You drive a hard bargain, Aominecchi, but you've got yourself a deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the last piece of Yellow! Because loss of time and connection is also a type of loss. But let's end on a lighter note, yes??? Thank you to everyone who came along for the ride! It's been a 4? 4.5!? years?!!? 
> 
> Special shout out to everyone who contributed translations, videos, fan art, and other fan work of this series! You're all amazing and your works are amazing!


End file.
